دوره 35، شماره 4 - ( 1404 )
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Sabouri S, Barati N. Reconceptualizing the Notion of Place in Light of Hippocampal Function and Cognitive Prototypes, Case Study: Perception of Place Among Residents and Pilgrims in Mashhad. IJAUP 2025; 35 (4)
URL: http://ijaup.iust.ac.ir/article-1-929-fa.html
URL: http://ijaup.iust.ac.ir/article-1-929-fa.html
Reconceptualizing the Notion of Place in Light of Hippocampal Function and Cognitive Prototypes, Case Study: Perception of Place Among Residents and Pilgrims in Mashhad. دانشگاه علم و صنعت ایران. 1404; 35 (4)
چکیده:
The concept of place has long been regarded as a foundational notion in urban design, environmental psychology, and cognitive science. Yet, the mental and neural mechanisms underlying place perception have rarely been examined through an interdisciplinary lens. This study focuses on the role of the hippocampal neural structure in the mental representation of place, exploring the links between episodic memory, emotion, lived experience, and the semantic dimensions of place. Drawing on cognitive and semantic theories, prototypes are considered as primary, central configurations that shape individual perceptions of place.
The research was designed at both conceptual and empirical levels. Conceptually, the notions of “place,” “hippocampus,” and “prototype” were analyzed from the perspectives of neuroscience, environmental psychology, and phenomenology. Empirically, free word-association data were collected from 60 residents and pilgrims in the vicinity of the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad. The data were analyzed using content analysis, with internal validity ensured through theoretical saturation.
Findings reveal that mental associations with the term " place" fall into four main clusters: personal spaces, sacred and spiritual spaces, functional spaces, and value concepts of place. Due to early theoretical saturation and the limited diversity of responses, place-based experiences in the contemporary urban context appear restricted, with urban spaces often failing to evoke memory, meaning, or sensory engagement—particularly among residents. Pilgrims exhibit more intense emotional engagement but a narrower spatial focus, whereas residents experience a broader spatial range with less emotional intensity.
In conclusion, place perception is not merely a spatial or functional phenomenon but is deeply rooted in the interweaving of memory, emotion, and daily life, underpinned by the hippocampus. By integrating concepts from cognitive neuroscience with place theory, this study opens new horizons for understanding human experience of place and for developing urban design approaches grounded in memory and perception.
The research was designed at both conceptual and empirical levels. Conceptually, the notions of “place,” “hippocampus,” and “prototype” were analyzed from the perspectives of neuroscience, environmental psychology, and phenomenology. Empirically, free word-association data were collected from 60 residents and pilgrims in the vicinity of the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad. The data were analyzed using content analysis, with internal validity ensured through theoretical saturation.
Findings reveal that mental associations with the term " place" fall into four main clusters: personal spaces, sacred and spiritual spaces, functional spaces, and value concepts of place. Due to early theoretical saturation and the limited diversity of responses, place-based experiences in the contemporary urban context appear restricted, with urban spaces often failing to evoke memory, meaning, or sensory engagement—particularly among residents. Pilgrims exhibit more intense emotional engagement but a narrower spatial focus, whereas residents experience a broader spatial range with less emotional intensity.
In conclusion, place perception is not merely a spatial or functional phenomenon but is deeply rooted in the interweaving of memory, emotion, and daily life, underpinned by the hippocampus. By integrating concepts from cognitive neuroscience with place theory, this study opens new horizons for understanding human experience of place and for developing urban design approaches grounded in memory and perception.
نوع مطالعه: Research Paper |
موضوع مقاله:
Landscape Architecture
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